Did the thief, crucified with Jesus on the cross, go to heaven with Jesus that very day? Most people who read Luke 23:43 seem to think when Jesus and the thief died, they both went immediately to Heaven to live forever in a paradise of bliss. Is this true? Or are we missing something in how this verse is read? We will look at Luke 23:43 using hermeneutical Bible study methods.
-1 According to the Bible what happens to humans when we die? The dead know nothing, they are “dead” and are sometimes referred to as “sleeping” (Ecc.9:5,10; Psalms 115:17; Acts 2:29,34 (Even King David is dead at this time) and I Thes.4:14). Gen. 3:19 says we go back to being “dust”. We are dead. Not awake, we know nothing. All humans who have ever lived have or will die (Heb. 9:27 and I Cor. 15:22). The thief on the cross died the same day as Jesus died. According the Bible the Thief knows nothing and has returned to dust. He is not in heaven according to scripture.
-2 Do people go to “heaven” or “hell” when they die”? The Bible is very clear on this subject. The answer is neither heaven nor hell is the destination of the deceased. We simply turn back into dust to await the resurrection. People must be dead to be resurrected. We clearly read in I Cor. 15:23-24, 51-54 about the resurrection of the saints to be with Jesus. Why would the saints have to be resurrected if they were already alive in heaven? I Thes. 4:15-17 states those who are alive and dead will rise to meet Jesus. In Rev. 20:12-14 we see when ALL people who have ever lived and died are resurrected to God’s judgement. They were ALL dead when resurrected.
We have established what the state of death is using strictly the Bible, God’s word.
-3 Translating from one language to another is a difficult task. English has many markers to help one understand the language, Comma’s, colon’s, semi-colons, question marks etc. “In actual Greek texts from the era when Koine Greek (Biblical) was used as a day-to day language, Greek was usually written with no punctuation” (Wikipedia). Therefore, it is up to the translator to correctly punctuate a translation to keep the original intent of the author. Bias and prior belief can and occasionally does filter into translations. Luke 23:43 is one of those times of translation filter bias drifting.
-4 Now we will read Luke 23:43 as it is often punctuated and then how it should have been (and sometimes is) punctuated. From the KJV, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” This punctuation makes one believe the thief on the cross went to heaven with Jesus at the very moment of his physical death. Now from the Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A New English Translation Luke 23:43 reads, “And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you today, you shall be with Me in paradise.” This translation with the comma after the word “today” clearly shows sometime in the future, the thief would be in paradise with Jesus. Jesus was encouraging the crucified thief at that moment, letting him know he would in the future be with him in His Kingdom. A properly placed comma can make all the difference in understanding.
-5 Hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods of Biblical Interpretation. Literal, historical, grammatical and contextual reading is of the utmost importance in understanding the Bible. Scripture is the best interpreter of scripture. Going from the clear unambiguous statements for clarification to the unclear is proper. Proof texting is incorrect Biblical study. Luke 23:43 is often used as a “proof text” for those who want to believe in going to heaven immediately upon human death. Yet, when one uses ALL scripture and context, Luke 23:43 shows Jesus was encouraging the dying thief on the cross that he would be resurrected in the future Kingdom of God to be with Jesus, God and all the saints.
The thief did NOT go to Heaven or to Hell on the day of his death. He is dust and awaiting his resurrection in the future like all the saints and all those who have ever lived. To let the Bible, interpret the Bible we need to read John 20:17. Three days and three nights after His death and after the death of the thief on the cross, Jesus Himself reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene and says He had not yet ascended to Heaven. If the thief was to go to heaven the very day of his death with Jesus, where was he? Did Christ lie to him about his future? God can not lie (Heb. 6:18). Therefore, the only proper reading of Luke 23:43 is to put the comma after the word “today”.
The thief on the cross is NOT in heaven today.
For further in-depth study, reference the following One-Page Biblical Studies: Hermeneutics. Immortal Soul. Heaven. Hell.
